Why “Use Good Judgment” Isn’t Enough

Hi Friends,

A few weeks ago, Hunter, Jade, and Maverick walked to a friend’s house by themselves for the first time. 🙌

They planned their route and secured their AirTag watches. They were proud of themselves, and we were proud of them—proud of all of us, really. It was a victory for the free-range childhood so many of us yearn to give our children.

About an hour later, Greg was pulling Maverick out of a stranger’s car. 

(Don’t worry—everyone was okay. Our safety nets worked, and nothing terrible happened.)

But despite our best intentions, what went wrong was completely unexpected. 

When Hunter realized Maverick was gone, she went into Big Sister mode and tried to handle it herself. She didn’t grab an adult. Not because she didn’t care (she was terrified), but because she didn’t know she was allowed to.

She was prioritizing politeness over safety because she had never been trained to do otherwise.

That’s why this week’s episode of The Most Important Thing focuses on two simple questions (grounded in world-class decision-making research) that we can practice with our kids now, so they can ask themselves when we aren't there. 

1. What matters most here? (especially important when values collide)

2. Is this mine to decide, or do I ask for help? 

Because if you’re anything like us, you are finding that when independence breaks down, it’s rarely due to recklessness. It’s due to a lack of clarity.

This episode is messy and vulnerable, but it was a massive unlock for our family, and we hope it will help yours too.

Listen to the full episode here: 
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
📺 YouTube

Sharing our location,
Danielle & Greg

Last week on TMIT 42: Storming and Transforming

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